Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. A footrest assembly (100) for a vehicle, comprising:
a footpad (110) provided on a floor (320) of the vehicle for supporting a foot of an occupant, the footpad (110) extending diagonally upward from the floor (320) in the vehicle front direction; and
a compressible wall (120) disposed adjacent to the footpad (110) in the vehicle front direction, the compressible wall (120) provided for creating a barrier in front of the foot of the occupant to prevent the foot rested on the footpad (110) from sliding in vehicle front direction during a collision or sudden deceleration of the vehicle to avoid the foot from coming in contact or colliding with components or parts disposed in front of the footrest assembly (100).

2. The footrest assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compressible wall (120) is affixed with the footpad (110).

3. The footrest assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the footpad (110) and the compressible wall (120) are made of polymeric material.

4. The footrest assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1 and claim 3, wherein the footpad (110) is made of expandable polypropylene (EPP) foam.

5. The footrest assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1 and claim 3, wherein the compressible wall (120) is made of cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) foam or polyurethane (PU) foam.

6. The footrest assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a bracket (130) mounted on the floor (320) of the vehicle, the bracket (130) configured to support the footpad (110) and/or the compressible wall (120).

7. The footrest assembly (100) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the bracket (130) comprising a support plate (132) extending diagonally upwards from the floor (320) of the vehicle, and a pair of spaced apart arms (134) extending downwards from the support plate (132) to mount the bracket (130) on the floor (320) of the vehicle.

8. The footrest assembly (100) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the footpad (110) has at-least one projection (112) on its bottom surface, and the support plate (132) of the bracket (130) has at-least one slot (136) configured to receive the corresponding projection (112) for positional alignment of the footpad (110) with the bracket (130).

9. The footrest assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1 or 6, wherein the footrest assembly (100) is interposed between a carpet and the bracket (130) or the floor (320) of the vehicle.

10. The footrest assembly (100) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the footpad (110) and the compressible wall (120) are configured to be affixed to a lower surface of the carpet.
, Description:TITLE OF THE INVENTION
A footrest assembly for a vehicle

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The invention relates to a footrest assembly for a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] Most vehicles with a manual transmission employ foot operated pedals such as an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal and a clutch pedal. The accelerator pedal and the brake pedal are operated by a right foot of a driver and the clutch pedal is operated by a left foot of the driver. As is well known, vehicles with automatic transmission or electric vehicles have only an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal i.e., no clutch pedal, and the left foot is generally not used for manipulating the pedals - accelerator / brake. Hence, while driving the vehicle, the driver’s left foot is either idle above a floor of the vehicle and this may lead to the foot being placed in uncomfortable positions. This leads to fatigue and pain in the left foot of the driver over long durations of driving the vehicle. In case of manual transmission vehicles, the driver may rest his foot over the clutch pedal while driving the vehicle which will result in partial disengagement of the clutch leading to premature wear of clutch surfaces and lower vehicle efficiency.
[003] To overcome the above, a footrest of dead pedal may be provided to the extreme left of all other foot operated pedals. The footrest offers an inclined surface for the driver to comfortably rest the left foot on while driving the vehicle. The footrest also allows the left foot to be rested at a position above the vehicle floor closer to the other foot operated pedals, which enables the driver to reduce response time in transitioning the left foot between the footrest and the clutch pedal. The footrest also offers a grippy surface for the driver to support his left foot on and brace during difficult maneuvers, giving the driver more control while driving.
[004] However, in the event of collision or under extreme or sudden deceleration of the vehicle, the left foot of the driver slides forward from the footrest and strikes the components present ahead of the foot operated pedals. These components include frame components, steering column, HVAC components, engine and transmission components. Impact of the foot on such hard and rugged components could result in mild to severe lower leg injury including fracture of the tibia. Risk of such injury also adversely affects the safety / crash ratings such as Global New Car Assessment Program (GNCAP) crash ratings of the vehicle, especially for the lower leg frontal impact injury zone. This prevents the vehicle from receiving high safety / crash rating and thus affects the consumer psyche while buying a vehicle. From a safety/crash rating perspective i.e., to improve rating by reducing injury to lower leg during collision would require complex changes in layout and design of chassis and engine components, and it may not be practical to make such modifications to the vehicles. Moreover, such modifications would involve huge development costs and time.
[005] Thus, there is a need in the art for a footrest assembly in a vehicle which addresses at least the aforementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[006] Accordingly, the present invention in one aspect provides a footrest assembly for a vehicle having a footpad provided on a floor of a vehicle for supporting a foot of an occupant, the footpad having extending diagonally upward from the floor in a vehicle front direction, and a compressible wall disposed adjacent to the footpad in the vehicle front direction, the compressible wall provided for creating a barrier in front of the foot of the occupant to prevent the foot rested on the footpad from sliding in vehicle front direction during a collision or sudden deceleration of the vehicle to avoid the foot from coming in contact or colliding with components or parts disposed in front of the footrest assembly.
[007] In an embodiment, the compressible wall is affixed with the footpad.
[008] In another embodiment, the footpad and the compressible wall are made of polymeric material.
[009] In another embodiment, the footpad is made of expandable polypropylene (EPP) foam.
[010] In another embodiment, the compressible wall is made of cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) foam.
[011] In another embodiment, the footrest assembly of the vehicle further has a bracket mounted on the floor of the vehicle. The bracket is configured to support the footpad and / or the compressible wall.
[012] In another embodiment, the bracket includes a support plate extending diagonally upwards from the floor of the vehicle, and a pair of spaced apart arms extending downwards from the support plate to mount the bracket on the floor of the vehicle.
[013] In another embodiment, the footpad has at-least one projection on its bottom surface and the support plate of the bracket has at-least one slot configured to receive the corresponding projection for positional alignment of the footpad with the bracket.
[014] In another embodiment, the footrest assembly is interposed between a carpet and the bracket or the floor of the vehicle.
[015] In another embodiment, the footpad and the compressible wall are configured to be affixed to a lower surface of the carpet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[016] Reference will be made to embodiments of the invention, examples of which may be illustrated in accompanying figures. These figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in context of these embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments.
Figure 1 illustrates a footrest assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the footrest assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 3 illustrates a footrest assembly installed a driver-side footwell of a vehicle cabin in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 4 shows an illustrative representation of foot movement with the footrest assembly of the present invention during a collision or sudden deceleration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[017] The present invention is directed towards a footrest or a dead pedal assembly for a vehicle. The footrest assembly is provided to enhance occupant comfort and safety and in particular, enhance driver comfort and enhance driver safety in terms of lower leg injury during a collision or sudden deceleration.
[018] Figures 1 to 3 show a footrest assembly 100 for a vehicle in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The vehicle may be a four-wheeler vehicle including but not limited to cars, trucks, work vehicles, recreational vehicles, etc. However, it is contemplated that the disclosure in the present invention may be applied to any other automobile capable of accommodating the present subject matter without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[019] The footrest assembly 100 comprises a footpad 110, a compressible wall 120 and a bracket 130. The footpad 110 extends diagonally upward and the compressible wall 120 is provided adjacent to the footpad 110. In an embodiment the compressible wall 120 is affixed with the footpad 110 via adhesives. The adhesive preferably is a hot melt adhesive. The angle of inclination of the footpad 110 with respect to a floor of the vehicle can in the range of 30 to 55º. However, the angle of inclination may be varied depending upon vehicle ergonomics and safety requirements in event of a collision.
[020] In an embodiment, the footpad 110 and the compressible wall 120 are made of polymeric materials. The footpad 110 in an embodiment is made of polymeric material harder than the compressible wall 120. The polymeric material of the compressible wall 120 in an embodiment is made of polymeric material which is soft and has high energy absorption and impact resistance. In an embodiment, the footpad 110 is made of polymeric material such as Expandable Polypropylene (EPP) foam whereas the compressible wall 120 is made of polymeric material such as cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) foam or polyurethane (PU) foam. The density of the EPP foam can be in the range of 20 to 40kg/m3 and XLPE foam can be in the range of 20-40kg/m3. In case of PU foam, the density can be in the range of 80-100 kg/m3.
[021] The footpad 110 and / or the compressible wall 120 are supported by the bracket 130 which is mounted on the floor 320 of the vehicle. As shown, the bracket 130 has a support plate 132 and a pair of spaced apart arms 134 to mount the bracket. The bracket is made of metal such as steel. The pair of spaced apart arms 134 enable the bracket 130 to be mounted on the floor 320 of the vehicle via welding or fasteners. The support plate 132 extends diagonally upward from the floor 320 of the vehicle to support the footpad 110 which also extends diagonally upward as discussed hereinbefore. Accordingly, the angle of inclination of the support plate 132 and the footpad 110 will be same. The support plate 132 is configured to support the footpad 110 and the compressible wall 120. In an embodiment, the footpad 110 has at least one projection 112 on its bottom surface and the bracket 130 has at least one slot 136 configured to receive the corresponding projections for positional alignment of the footpad 110 with the bracket 130. As shown in Figure 2, the footpad 110 has one projection 112. The bracket 130 as shown has one slot 136 for receiving the projection 112 of the footpad 110 to couple and align with the bracket 130. The bracket is made of metal such as steel.
[022] Further, the footrest assembly 100 is interposed between a carpet (not shown) and the bracket 130 or the floor 320 of the vehicle. The footrest 110 and compressible wall 120 are affixed to a lower surface of the carpet. In this regard, the footpad 110 being EPP foam and the compressible wall 120 being XLPE foam have chemical resistance, and thus allow the footpad 110 and the compressible wall 120 to be affixed with the carpet via an adhesive. The adhesive is preferably a hot melt adhesive. The footpad 110 and the compressible wall 120 mounted on the bracket 130 and affixed with the carpet thus stays in position and does not move or dislodge from its position.
[023] As illustrated in Figure 3, the footrest assembly 100 is installed in a driver-side footwell 300 of a vehicle cabin. In the illustration, the vehicle is a right-hand drive vehicle. Accordingly, the footrest assembly 100 as shown is provided adjacent to a left sidewall 310 of the vehicle cabin/footwell for supporting a left leg / foot of the driver. However, the footrest assembly can also be installed for a passenger, where the footrest assembly can be provided adjacent to the left sidewall and/or right sidewall as per requirement. When installed in the vehicle cabin, the footpad 110 extends from the floor 320 of the vehicle diagonally upward in a vehicle front direction and the compressible wall 120 is disposed in front of the footpad 110 in the vehicle front direction. The footpad 110 provides an inclined surface for the occupant to rest his/her foot and the compressible wall 120 is provided in front of the occupant’s toe/foot. The compressible wall 120 creates a barrier between the foot of the occupant - driver/passenger and components or parts of the vehicle disposed in front of the footpad 110, especially during a collision or sudden deceleration. The compressible wall 120 provides cushion to the foot and absorbs energy from the foot.
[024] Reference is now made to Figure 4, which shows an illustrative representation of foot movement with the footrest assembly 100 of the present invention during a collision or sudden deceleration. As shown, in figure 4A, a foot F of the occupant is resting in a normal position on the footrest assembly 100. During the event of a collision or sudden deceleration, the foot F moves in vehicle front direction (towards components/dash of the vehicle) as shown in figure 4B, and the compressible wall 120 of the footrest assembly 100 will block further movement of the foot and the compressible wall 120 provides cushion to the foot and absorb energy from the foot resulting in lower movements in the leg. Further, as shown in figure 4C, the foot F will slide side-ways in the footwell of the cabin. The footrest assembly 100 will thus reduce movement of the foot in the vehicle front direction, thereby preventing the foot to hit or come in direct contact with component/parts of the vehicle such as frame components, steering column, HVAC components, engine and transmission components. Accordingly, the footrest assembly 100 during a collision, acts as energy absorber which reduces movement of the foot and will reduce lower leg injury, especially tibia index injury. Furthermore, the compressible wall 120 with XLPE foam being soft will reduce impact on the foot. The present invention thus apart from reducing injury, also improves the crash/safety ratings of the vehicle such as Global New Car Assessment Program (GNCAP), especially for the lower leg frontal impact injury zone. In this regard, in the embodiment where the footrest assembly 100 is integrated with the carpet, the crash / safety rating further improves.
[025] Advantageously, the footrest assembly of the present invention improves comfort of a vehicle passenger in terms of foot placement and also enhances safety of the passenger by reducing lower leg frontal impact in case of collisions or sudden deceleration. The present invention thus also enhances the safety / crash ratings of the vehicle as well.
[026] While the present invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.